Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link came out in 1988, two years after the success of The Legend of Zelda. What many gamers found was a game that was drastically different from its predecessor. If you don’t count Zelda‘s CD-i games, which most of us wouldn’t, this game stands out as the black sheep of the franchise. Despite how different this game is compared to the rest of the series, Zelda 2 has influenced other games. With its innovative gameplay, RPG elements, and even instantly iconic music, there is a lot to love about this game. Let’s explore what makes this game timeless and how it influenced future Zelda titles!
About Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
Following the success of The Legend of Zelda, the developers faced the daunting task of creating a sequel that could surpass its predecessor. They could have taken the route of Super Mario 2: The Lost Levels and made a more challenging Zelda game. However, Nintendo chose a different path, starting from scratch and completely reimagining Zelda.
The first noticeable change is the side view of Link when you start the game. As you leave the starting area, the camera view returns to a familiar top-down angle, but now you notice sprites wandering around as you navigate the overworld map. Touching these sprites would start an encounter, and you’d be greeted with a view from the beginning of the game. From here on out, all combat will be viewed from the side.
Another thing you’ll notice is little town icons on the world map. These towns may include familiar names, such as Saria, Darunia, Mido, Rauru, Ruto, and Nabooru. This is also the first and only Zelda game to include an experience bar and a life system. Though to be fair, that last one is a half-truth. The Zelda CD-i games also had a life system, but those games are considered non-canon.
Innovation at its Finest
One of the most iconic things this game introduced to the series is magic and spells. This was the first Zelda game to introduce an MP bar with magic upgrades. You can increase the size of your bar with Magic Jars found in the overworld. You can also increase the potency of that magic bar by using experience when you level up. The magic spells introduced weren’t seen again as they were introduced, which is a shame; these spells really add something special to this game.
Another iconic mechanic introduced to this game is the special combat moves. In this world, some people can teach you spells and special techniques. This is the first game to introduce the up-thrust strikes and down-thrust strikes. These strikes add to the complexity of the combat system in a good way and are introduced later to ensure you have mastered basic combat first. These two moves are my favorite inclusions in this game because of where else they appear in the series; we’ll cover that soon.
Influences on Other Zelda Titles
This game provided many Easter eggs for future titles. Names like Saria, Ruto, Darunia, Nabooru, and Rauru reappeared as some of the sages in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Mido also appeared in Ocarina of Time but as a bully kid in the Kokiri Forest. I did not get a chance to play this game as a kid, so when I bought it on the Wii Virtual Console, I was ecstatic to discover that these names existed back in 1988. It makes sense now there is an established timeline for the whole series. Zelda 2 exists towards the end of that timeline. It’s highly possible these towns were named after the sages themselves.
Remember the down-thrust strike I mentioned? It makes another appearance in The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. Taught to you by the Hero’s Shade, the finishing blow shows Link jumping towards a downed enemy with his sword pointed down. This is another reference to Zelda 2. This strike also appears in every Super Smash Bros. game along with the up-thrust strike. These two moves also appear in the GameCube version of Soul Caliber 2, a game that featured Link as a playable character.
This was also the first Zelda game without Ganon as the final villain. While he technically appears when Link faces a game over, he isn’t the one you’re trying to stop. While this would occur in future games, the game’s final boss does not reappear as a final boss again.
Speaking of that boss—and I’m sorry to whoever I’m spoiling this 36-year-old game for—Dark Link does make an appearance in several games. He appears as a significant encounter in Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, Twilight Princess, and Spirit Tracks, among many others. His encounter here is significant since he is the last obstacle to obtaining the Triforce of Courage.
What Makes Zelda 2 a Black Sheep?
It’s time we addressed the elephant in the room. With a more complex and strategic combat system comes a much harder game. In fact, this is one of the most difficult Zelda games in the mainline titles. While I don’t think this should discourage you from playing it, it may prevent you from finishing it. This game may leave you frustrated from having to navigate enemy attacks.
Goriyas will throw boomerangs at you relentlessly at high and low trajectories. You have to either dodge or block the attacks with your shield and get close enough to hit them while making sure a dodged boomerang doesn’t come back and hit you from behind. You’ll need to duck under thrown boomerangs, turn around, and crouch to block a low hit while trying to deal damage. There is a lot to keep track of.
There are both weaker and tougher enemies than that. In this game, you’ll also find Darknuts, Iron Knuckles, and a creature called a Fokka that has yet to make another appearance. The Fokka are the toughest enemies to face in the game. They’re relentless when chasing you, can shoot sword beams, jump incredibly high, and have massive health pools. The controls for this game are very tight and well-polished, but you’ll have to throw whatever you can at these enemies if you want to live. It’s one of my favorite enemies in a Zelda game outside of the Darknaught from Twilight Princess.
Living up to a Legend
This game might sound intimidating and not much like a Zelda game at all. I feel I need to point out that this game was developed before Nintendo knew exactly what a Zelda game should be. All a Zelda game was at this point was exploring the world and stopping evil from prevailing. There were no tropes of puzzles, treasure chests, or incredible deep pockets for weapons yet.
Nintendo dared to add RPG elements with an experience bar, magic, stats, and special moves. They ventured a risk with tough enemies that challenged your understanding of the game and its combat system. It forces you to conserve magic since there are temples with tough enemies and other obstacles that magic needs to solve. Do you dare heal yourself and try to farm for magic potions to restore your MP? Or do you try to venture forth and trust your skills in the game? You were forced to ask these questions because Nintendo traveled off a barely established path.
This is a game you should experience. Its soundtrack is as timeless as Zelda itself. The Great Palace theme is my favorite Zelda piece. It was recreated for Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Hyrule Temple stage, and it is my favorite rendition.
The final boss, Dark Link, is as iconic as this game should be. You walk into a room after defeating a massive bird creature to find a tiny wizard with the Triforce of Courage. When you think it’s over, a shadow jumps out of your body, and you have to defeat it. This final fight will have you use all the skills you have acquired to conquer your enemy and more importantly yourself. Or you can just crouch in the corner and just stab repeatedly.
In the end, when you’re victorious, you can finally claim the Triforce of Courage for yourself and, of course, save the princess.
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